Alicia Taylor: Smart meets sexy

Real estate and sex appeal are two phrases that don’t often go hand in hand, but Alicia Taylor makes it work. She’s a true Renaissance woman. A Las Vegas native and UNLV graduate, this savvy senior manager at Mortgage Solutions LLC has done everything from posing for "Playboy," to writing books, to almost nabbing her own show on OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s new television network. Taylor shares her secrets to success with VEGAS INC.

Do you have a motto you live by?

If you stay ready, you never have to get ready. It applies in business. It applies in everything. Always bring your A-game.

If you could bring any two CDs with you on a deserted island, what would they be?

Sade: Greatest Hits. I need something like that where I like every song. Then I need something super-hype. It’d have to be Notorious B.I.G.’s "Ready to Die."

If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

I’ve gotta go with Diana Ross. She was the first incredibly gorgeous black woman I saw on TV. She reminded me of me.

What was your first job?

Nougles, the burrito shop, in North Las Vegas. It was like a broke-down version of Del Taco, but not quite as bad as Taco Bell.

What was your worst job?

When I was in college at UNLV, I worked in medical records at University Medical Center. I was responsible for filing birth certificates for babies born on weekends.

I got fired because I messed them up.

What kind of watch to you wear?

A Skagen, Denmark. They have mesh straps, and I have really, really tiny wrists. They adjust. Every day I wear either silver or gold. Today, I’m wearing a silver watch with a gold face.

Absolutely, but only if I get the cover. Just to be in there? Been there, done that. That was such a proud moment for me.

You were a finalist on Your OWN Show on Oprah’s TV network. What would the name of your show have been if you won?

My show would have been called Dollars and Sense: The Alicia Taylor Show. If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.

If you could change one thing about Las Vegas, what would it be?

We’d definitely have water. I love the water. If Vegas were a coastal city, we wouldn’t be able to get people to leave! And, Lake Mead doesn’t count.

You’re a beach-lover. What SPF sunscreen do you put on when you head to the coast?

I don’t. I need to get into sunscreen. I have such dark skin I’ve never worried about it. No one in my family has ever had skin cancer. I have a moisturizer that I put on my face every day with SPF 35.

Other than your wallet and your keys, what’s the one thing you never leave the house without?

Pearls. I wear them all the time.

What’s your most valuable possession?

This is going to sound so super cheesy but it’s true: My brain. My most valuable possession is me. I can say that because I don’t have kids.